Rivals SEC Preview

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Forgive the rest of the college football world if they're a little sick of hearing about this: An SEC team has won each of the past five national titles.

SEC fans, of course, continue to revel in the accomplishment, telling everyone who will listen how great their conference is and will continue to be.

Bad news for folks not associated with the SEC: There are two legit national title contenders in the league this season.

Auburn won the 2010 title, and the Tigers were the only one of the recent SEC national titlists to open the season outside the top 10. The other four - Florida in 2006, LSU in '07, Florida in '08 and Alabama in '09 - opened in the top seven in The Associated Press poll and the top eight in the coaches' poll. None were No. 1, though.

This season, the league's top two contenders, Alabama and LSU, are second and fourth, respectively, in the coaches' poll. In all, seven league teams are in the top 25.

Once again, the West is the strongest division in the league. Four West Division teams - Alabama and LSU, along with Arkansas and Auburn - are in the preseason top 25. Every team in the East lost at least four games last season, and all but South Carolina lost at least five; it wouldn't be a shock if that happened again.

There are two new coaches in the league, both in the East. Will Muschamp, a Georgia alum who had been Texas' defensive coordinator, is the new Florida coach, while James Franklin, who had been offensive coordinator at Maryland, is Vanderbilt's new leader.

On the field, think of this season as the year of the running back in the SEC. Every league team except Kentucky has a legitimate hope of having a 1,000-yard rusher. Conversely, this is not a league with a lot of proven quarterbacks or wide receivers.

The league will get a chance to prove its strength early. Two of the season's biggest non-conference games involve SEC teams in the first week of the season: Boise State vs. Georgia in Atlanta and LSU vs. Oregon in Arlington, Texas.

Chances are the SEC will get a chance to prove its strength in the final game of the season, too.

THE PLAYERS

BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER: South Carolina WR Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery emerged as one of the nation's best wide receivers as a sophomore last season, catching 88 passes for 1,517 yards and nine TDs. While it's true he benefits from playing in the same offense as star TB Marcus Lattimore, Jeffery is hampered by not playing with a consistent quarterback. No matter: Jeffery is going to put up great stats again this season for the Gamecocks, then almost certainly head off to the NFL.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Alabama SS Mark Barron. Barron is a big-play guy from his strong safety position. He is heading into his third season as a starter, and he led the Tide with 75 tackles last season. He also had three interceptions and six pass breakups. Barron is a key part of what should be the nation's best secondary this season.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER ON THE SPOT: LSU QB Jordan Jefferson. Had Jefferson been a competent quarterback last season, LSU would've been in the BCS - and maybe even in the national title game. As it was, LSU went 11-2 in spite of Jefferson. He was OK as a sophomore in 2009, then regressed last season. If he can bounce back this season under new quarterback coach Steve Kragthorpe, LSU could be in New Orleans playing for the national title.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER ON THE SPOT: LSU LB Ryan Baker. We're spotlighting another Tigers player here - but for different reasons. Baker was steady last season, and he will have to be even better this season for a Tigers team that is undergoing a transition in its front seven. Baker is undersized at just 6 feet tall, but he weighs 236 pounds and packs a wallop. He has good speed and can run sideline to sideline. Last season, his first as a starter, Baker finished second on the Tigers with 87 tackles despite playing the first month of the season with a broken jaw that was wired shut. This season as a senior, he'll be expected to be the leader of the Tigers' front seven, and he should contend for all-league honors.

BREAKOUT OFFENSIVE STAR: Alabama TB Trent Richardson. Think back to 2009, when Alabama was counting on a former backup to take up the slack at tailback. All Mark Ingram did was win the Heisman and help the Tide win the national title. It's not unrealistic to expect the same thing from Richardson this season. He has rushed for 1,451 yards and 14 TDs in his first two seasons and easily could match those totals this season. Richardson attended the same high school as Emmitt Smith - Pensacola (Fla.) Escambia - and can start making a name for himself this fall.

BREAKOUT DEFENSIVE STAR: LSU E Sam Montgomery. If Montgomery is as good as we think he is, he'll flirt with 10 sacks and provide the Tigers' defensive front with a playmaker off the edge. T Drake Nevis was LSU's big-play lineman last season, but he's now in the NFL. Montgomery still is a bit raw when it comes to defending the run, but he has all the tools to be a top-flight pass rusher. If he puts everything together this season, LSU's defense will come close to matching last season's success.

BEST OFFENSIVE NEWCOMER: Georgia TB Isaiah Crowell. Georgia fans have been, well, crowing about Crowell since National Signing Day, and because of some player defections at tailback, it seems likely Crowell will trot out with the first-team offense when the Bulldogs open against Boise State. He has good size (5-11/215) and possesses breakaway speed. Georgia has some issues on offense, and it sure would help incumbent starting QB Aaron Murray if Crowell lives up to the high school hype. Crowell should get ample opportunity to do so.

BEST DEFENSIVE NEWCOMER: South Carolina E Jadeveon Clowney. He was the nation's No. 1 recruit, and though the Gamecocks seem set at end with Melvin Ingram (their leading returning sacker) and all-league choice Devin Taylor, Clowney almost certainly will see the field because of his pass-rushing ability (he had 29 sacks as a high school senior). His ability to hold up against the run remains a question, but he's going to be unleashed against opposing quarterbacks.

MOST OVERRATED PLAYER: LSU WR Rueben Randle. For a five-star talent coming out of high school, Randle sure hasn't done much. Yes, you certainly can place some of the blame on poor quarterback play; LSU hasn't really had a good quarterback since Randle arrived in campus. Still, in two seasons, he has just 46 total touches. Perhaps this will be his breakout season.

THE COACHES

COACH ON THE HOTTEST SEAT: Georgia's Mark Richt. Richt is coming off the first losing record of his tenure, and some of the natives are mighty restless. The Bulldogs have lost 12 games in the past two seasons; the last time that happened was in 1995-96. In addition, last season's seven losses were the most for the Bulldogs since 1990. The SEC East looks as down as it has been since the league went to the division format in 1992, and folks will know early if this Bulldogs team has what it takes to challenge for the division title: They open with Boise State in Atlanta on Sept. 3, then play host to South Carolina in a huge division showdown the next weekend.

BEST STAFF: Alabama. Nick Saban may rub some people the wrong way, but the guy is a good coach - and he has a great staff. Both his coordinators - Jim McElwain on offense and Kirby Smart on defense - are in line to be head coaches sooner rather than later, and he also has some of the bets position coaches around in Burton Burns (running backs) and Sal Sunseri (linebackers).

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